The Knoxville-based brewery said it was the first time the Blonde Fatale had been entered in the global biennial competition, which this year drew the highest number of entries to date.

Peace Tree Brewmaster Joe Kesteloot first produced Blonde Fatale in 2010 as a celebration of the change in Iowa law which increased the allowable ABV (alcohol by volume) enabling Iowa breweries to brew styles above the former 6.25 percent limit.

According to Peace Tree, prior to this change, Iowa breweries could not compete with many styles on the world stage. After a popular debut as a draft-only offering, Blonde Fatale was put into bottles in 2011 and has quickly become a best-selling beer for Peace Tree.